Abstract
One of the most important musicians of the French Baroque – who, however, did not produce any works for the operatic stage – was François Couperin. He was employed as organist and church conductor by Louis XIV. In the last years of the reign of the «Sun King», Couperin belonged to the court’s most intimate musical circle. Every Sunday, Couperin held concerts in the royal private chambers at Versailles, featuring works with a variety of instrumentations, artistically combining the Italian and French styles. These Concerts Royaux pour la Chambre du Roy form the birth of chamber music. In our next Lunch-/Brunch Concert you can hear selections from Il ritratto d'amore, from Couperin’s concert collection, in addition to works by Jean-Philippe Rameau and Marin Marais.